Sailing

One design racing is all about those tiny margins. A skipper that knows this better than most is Tony Mack who retained the J/111 National Championship and was awarded the J-Cup at the helm of McFly back in September last year. Cyclops Marine proudly sponsored the event and gifted the winner of the J-Cup a smarttune load sensor.   Cyclops were excited that Tony should be the recipient of the device, not just as a worthy winner after his crew’s performance, but because they kne...

Another learning opportunity which Gary and I grabbed with both hands in 2019, was to sail to Spain with Brian, a work colleague of Gary's. This was to be the absolute defining moment that sealed our commitment to make our dream happen, seek freedom, and live a simpler life.   The idea of crewing with Gary, my husband, on a passage from Whitehaven to A Coruna in Northern Spain seemed a perfect way to test the notion of living an alternative life and sailing to distant shores. I ...

Silence floats down the Hamble River.    Busy boatyards which have been hoisting yachts ashore for the past few weeks lie motionless. Marina car parks, bars and pontoons are deserted. A frozen Heron hunts silently in the shallows. Nothing stirs.   Slowly, one boat slips her moorings and glides past the deserted fuel pontoon, beyond Hamble Point to the sea, her work for the year not quite complete.   Onboard are David, Ollie & Dan who live in Totton...

Easter 2017 and the dream of sailing oceans was becoming our reality but did we have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to make the humongous leap into being full-time cruisers? Quite simply the answer to that was NO.  However, the date to commence the life-changing journey had been set to June 2020 and so with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation, we started to build our knowledge and skills. Both Gary and I had and still do have a huge appetite for learning, mine quit...

Easter 2017 we decided to move full-time aboard Sandpiper our 36ft yacht, simply to ensure Gary and I could live in the same space 24/7. Our dream was to sail the oceans later in 2020 and you have to start somewhere. It was a crazy idea I know but why not and you only have one life and the timing is never perfect. Few items were transferred from our house to the boat but I did bring Edward the ted and way too many shoes haha! Detaching from the house and its assets was important if we really wan...

If there is one thing 2020 has highlighted more than ever, it is how precious our time on the water really is. As competitive sailors, we have had less time to get race-ready, yet our expectations to get those top results does not waver.  Imagine you have just collected your new boat, and are about to have your first race, with the forecast at a punchy 20 knots. You have not had the time to set the boat up and you are not certain as to where the limits are. 50nm should certainly help yo...